In a game that wound up a 2-1 loss, a failure by Blues forward Chris Stewart to score into an open net Tuesday night in Columbus proved a memorable miss.

On Wednesday, Stewart found himself practicing on the team's fourth line, and he's expected to remain there tonight when the Blues host the New York Islanders at Scottrade Center.

The demotion, however, is far less about one opportunity — "Those things happen in a game," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said — and much more about Stewart's enigmatic offensive season. After averaging 28 goals and 58 points the past two years, he has produced just 11 goals and 22 points in 53 games this season.

"Before you can think about scoring goals, you've got to start to work," Hitchcock said. "Does this get his attention and do all that stuff? We'll see, but we need him to have way more impact on the game. He's too good a player to just go quietly by the night.